Current AEW Wrestler Recalls Turning Tony Khan Down

One of AEW's brightest young stars wasn't too interested in the promotion at first.

By Jamie Kennedy /

AEW

Daniel Garcia has admitted that he wasn't too excited about the thought of joining AEW initially.

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The Jericho Appreciation Society member appeared on leader Chris Jericho's podcast to honestly assess his earliest showings in Tony Khan's promotion. According to Garcia, they "didn't feel great"; Dan's first two bouts for All Elite were as part of a tag-team with Kevin Blackwood on the 15 September and 22 September 2020 editions of Dark.

Neither was a particularly wonderful experience for him.

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Similarly, matches opposite Joey Janela and Lee Johnson on Dark: Elevation in May 2021 did next-to-nothing for the future breakout star. Both led to Garcia wondering if he even wanted to sign a deal with Khan's company when Tony came knocking with papers in hand.

How's that for honesty?

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Khan asked if Daniel would like to work the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in 2021, but he "said no" and decided to turn the AEW boss down flat. Garcia didn't actually ink a full-time deal with All Elite until October of that year.

Obviously, things have worked out well for both parties, but Dan pondered giving AEW a miss originally.

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